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by dwhit 2642 days ago
A toilet that monitored urine and stool samples would be a major lifesaver.
6 comments

Continuing the ancient tradition of plumbers saving more lives than doctors (without even needing a Hippocratic oath).
Toilabs. Just started out doing just that.
This strikes me as an exceptionally difficult problem to solve. I'll be impressed if someone brings a workable solution to market in any reasonable time-frame. I guess if you can retrain people in how they use their toilet, you might be able to simplify some of the challenges, but many people use their toilet as a generalized soft/liquid garbage can.
Hopefully not a Theranos lol

What if on major airports (or other similar venues) there were paid toilets where you could do whatever business you want to do there and exit, only to receive a test result later on if something weird showed up?

Could this be doable?

Perhaps by taking a photo of the solid & liquid expelled from your body and trying to eliminate or reduce water contamination from the solid parts, and collecting it as you usually do in a lab?

Sorry if this all sounds stupid. My experience with biology is close to zero, and I have no clue about what I'm talking about — just thinking out loud.

Well that’s just it the UX of using a toilet would remain the same and the smart toilet wpuld collect the sample(as a toilet does now)/analyze it and send the data if it detects irregularities to your doctor. He/she then analyzes it and schedules a follow up appointment if needed.
Keeping the user experience the same — I suspect — will be excessively difficult
How so you use the toilet as you always would and everything is done automatically by the smart toilet.
Right, I also want a machine that magically makes me lose weight while I sleep, while not affecting my sleep and costing $5 ... that doesn’t mean it’s mechanically or physically possible with current technology though.
A startup in Japan is building this.
> A toilet that monitored urine and stool samples

The nation of Germany?